hardinparamedic:soundguy: Because it's only prevalent in the deep south. We're already partly energy-dependent on a bunch of ignorant, backward, goat-raping, woman-hating, bronze age religious zealots from the middle east. What do we gain by switching our dependence to virtually the same culture in the southern states aside from shorter shipping time? You really want to make those people "Saudi-prince-level rich"?

Tell me how you really feel about Mississippi, bro.

But, seriously. Kudzu-as-biomass Diesel production could be the thing to help remedy some of the crippling poverty in the area, especially the Mississippi Delta (outside of native american reservations, it's one of the poorest areas in the US)

Jument:born_yesterday:Seriously, are there any actual products that hemp will really and truly revolutionize?

Paper, for one. Hemp needs like 1/4 of the real estate you would need from trees to make paper, and it does a better job of taking up CO2. It's also a product that replenishes nitrogen in the soil, so farmers and growers would probably love to use it rotationally. Right now that's basically the job of the soybean, but we grow more soybeans here than we really have any use for. Which is why soy is packed into all sorts of foods you wouldn't expect it to be, and it's why soy is one of our top exports.

Hemp oil is good for cleaning up petroleum products, as well as paints. The theory is that it would reduce some of our use of crude, while helping us dispose of the oil products we use.

It can be used for a number of other things, (fiberboard, plastics, foods, soaps, lubricants, ethanol, textiles), which may or may not catch on. I'd imagine that if and when hemp is legalized, it'll find a market in quite a few areas over time, though it's hard to say which. You're right in saying that hemp lovers exaggerate its usefulness, saying it would revolutionize EVERYTHING. But there's a bit of truth there, as well.

Jument:born_yesterday: When hemp takes it's rightful place in the various industrial roles it can fill, I hope that's when even non-smokers realize what a travesty it was that this plant was ever criminalized.

Yay, better rope for everyone!

Seriously, are there any actual products that hemp will really and truly revolutionize? We have access to a lot of excellent natural and artificial materials these days. Can you name a few where hemp will make something that's far and away superior to everything available right now?

Looks like it will be useful for production of composites. Why not hit wiki and learn something?

Jument:born_yesterday: When hemp takes it's rightful place in the various industrial roles it can fill, I hope that's when even non-smokers realize what a travesty it was that this plant was ever criminalized.

Yay, better rope for everyone!

Seriously, are there any actual products that hemp will really and truly revolutionize? We have access to a lot of excellent natural and artificial materials these days. Can you name a few where hemp will make something that's far and away superior to everything available right now?

Paint makers can return to using hempseed oil. The law forcing manufacturers to Changing from hempseed oil based paint to lead based paint was a horribly bad decision that still effects us today.

Hempseed oil can also be used in cars, etc. making disposal of old oil easier and less dangerous to the environment.

Paper can be made from hemp plants instead of having to cut down trees.

born_yesterday:When hemp takes it's rightful place in the various industrial roles it can fill, I hope that's when even non-smokers realize what a travesty it was that this plant was ever criminalized.

Fine. But do it in a state where pot is still illegal. The cannabis growers of Colorado don't need a whole bunch of industrial hemp pollen wafting in the breezes.

born_yesterday:When hemp takes it's rightful place in the various industrial roles it can fill, I hope that's when even non-smokers realize what a travesty it was that this plant was ever criminalized.

I'm a non-smoker and I don't think it should be criminalized (at least not to the extent it is now)